Short Summary

North-west of Phnom Penh, Cambodian troops swept along a vital road link on Monday in pursuit of the Viet Cong brigade which attacked the Thmat Pong area the previous night.

Description

North-west of Phnom Penh, Cambodian troops swept along a vital road link on Monday in pursuit of the Viet Cong brigade which attacked the Thmat Pong area the previous night.

The chase was along road Twenty Six, which links two of Cambodia's major highways leading out of the capital, Phnom Penh.

In their effort to catch the Viet Cong raiders, the Cambodian troops commandeered most available transport, including Japanese motor-cycles. But their pursuit was hampered by the trail of broken bridges and damaged roads left by the Viet Cong. This seriously slowed up the bulk of the Cambodian equipment, which followed the main force.

Nevertheless, the Cambodian advance units did at one stage make contact with the Viet Cong and there was a brief skirmish.

While the pursuit continued, there were important developments in another sector of the Cambodian conflict. A South Vietnamese task force arrived at Kompong Som -- Cambodia's only deepwater port -- in an effort to break the Viet Cong stranglehold on the city's principal road link.

Supported by tanks, the South Vietnamese have been sweeping from the port into the mountains towards Phnom Penh -- but they have so far not met any resistance.